After years of Iraq war films that are mostly nothing but pandering messages, now there is finally a film that adds something new to the genre. Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is a tense action film that is subtle with its messages and themes. It’s a reminiscent of Black Hawk Down, a film that can be enjoyed from a storytelling standpoint and an action movie standpoint.
The Hurt Locker revolves around Sergeant J.T. Sanborn, and Specialist Owen Eldridge of Bravo Company who are stuck right in the center of the war with danger around very corner. When Staff Sergeant William James joins the team as the bomb defuser, he surprises the team with indifference to death and the rush he gets from his job. As they’re thrown into chaos the mental toll of war, what it takes to do their job, and the repercussions from their job.
The film never divulges into pandering political messages. It is an action film that doesn’t get bogged down by blatant messages. While it is filled with some obvious statements, they are kept on a low key where it doesn’t feel preachy. The film isn’t interested in making a political stance, it’s goal is to show what going into a war zone does to someone’s mentality. William James is the main focus of the story and he’s what one could call, in some ways, psychopathic. He’s dedicated to his job, but he seems to get off on being placed in near death situations. Does being a little crazy a requirement of taking the job to defuse bombs? It’s a question thats posed and is what James represents. Eldridge represents the emotional toll of war and Sanborn is a character that shows what the aftermath of war does to someone. The only time the film becomes somewhat unbelievable is during the third act. There’s a moment where Sanborn and Eldridge decide to follow a questionable decision made by James.
Kathryn Bigelow is without a doubt one of the most exciting and underrated directors working today. She’s delivered countless quality films and this is quite possibly her best yet. The intensity brought to the screen is an adrenaline rush that leaves one unaware of the characters outcome. For example, there is a sniper battle that is filled to the brim with tension, and there’s never a single sense of preconception. Many action films are inept of shaking off preconceptions of the main hero and this succeeds by avoiding that entirely. There’s an actual sense of danger which is a challenging feat to pull of. The POV shots are also staged to perfection, like Strange Days, it gives a first view perspective that makes you feel as if your their with these characters. Bigelow does a wonderful job conveying the intensity of defusing a bomb aka surrounded by suspicious characters and feeling, in many ways, isolated.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty are the bomb squad team. They all share genuine chemistry and are able to play off each-other perfectly. Their characters represent a specific idea and they all contain an equal amount of emotional investment, although Anthony Mackie could have used more screen time to further develop a relationship with a fellow soldier. The real standout here is Jeremy Renner, not just because of his terrific performance, but also the layer of intensity he adds to the idea of William James. He believably conveys the addiction James has to his job. He’s subtle and plays down the psychological turmoil James has, specifically during a moment in a grocery store.
The Hurt Locker is a great film with moments of pure tension, splendid performances, and well executed action sequences. While the third act contains a huge leap of logic, and there is the issue with the final minutes on the film where it feels like a batch of alternate endings tied together, Kathryn Bigelow’s war story is still her best film yet.